Saquon Barkley had a record-breaking 2024 season, eclipsing 2,000 rushing yards and winning the Super Bowl.
He aims to repeat his 2,000-yard performance, a feat never accomplished twice by any NFL player.
The Eagles, with a mostly unchanged offense, are expected to maintain their run-heavy strategy under new offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo.
Barkley became the ninth player ever to eclipse 2,000 rushing yards. He set an NFL record for most rushing yards in a season, including playoffs (2,504). His total rushing output of 2,504 yards made him the first player to amass over 2,500 rushing yards in a single season. And last but certainly not least, he hoisted the Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl 59.
It’s hard not to label Barkley as the NFL’s top running back following his 2024 campaign.
“Explosive through the holes (and) great pad leverage. When he’s running the play is never really over with him, because he knows to get in and out of holes (and) he breaks tackles,” former NFL running back Shaun Alexander said of Barkley to USA TODAY Sports in a recent interview. “He’s special. It’s fun to watch.”
Can Barkley make history again in his second season as a Philadelphia Eagle? No player has ever rushed for 2,000 yards twice in a career.
“It’s hard to do it in general. It’s only nine of us who’s ever done it,” Barkley told reporters this offseason. “The reason why it’s hard to do it twice is because it’s hard to do it the first time. It’s a crazy thing to even mention with those guys. But for me, 2,000 yards isn’t the goal. It’s winning a Super Bowl and going out there and performing at a high level. I didn’t come in with the mindset last year to rush for 2,000 yards. It kind of just happened. So just stay in the moment, take care of the little things, be consistent with my process, be obsessive with my process…If it’s in the cards again, it is. If it’s not, it’s not.”
Odds are stacked against Barkley rushing for 2,000 yards again. On top of the feat never being accomplished twice by the same player, Barkley has three career seasons of over 1,300 rushing yards. There’s also the obstacle that Philadelphia faces the fourth toughest strength of schedule in the NFL this season.
But the Eagles do have the personnel to once again have a powerful rushing attack.
The biggest change offensively is new offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo who takes over for Kellen Moore who departed to become head coach of the New Orleans Saints. Patullo, who previously served as the team’s passing game coordinator from 2021-24, as offensive coordinator inherits a loaded offense.
The Eagles offense returns 10 of 11 starters from the squad that won Super Bowl 59. Philadelphia ranked in the top 10 in both run block and pass block win rate and had the league’s No. 2 rushing attack last season.
Expect the Eagles to continue to have a run-oriented offense under Patullo. With quarterback Jalen Hurts and Barkley leading the way, it’s a proven offensive formula as they aim to defend their Super Bowl title.
“It’s a new journey. It’s a blank canvas. We are who we are. We have what we have. Regardless whether you win a championship or lose a championship, the next year you have to be able to reset have the right focus and pursue it with great intensity and great passion. I think that’s where we are,” Hurts said. “We have a new team, new individuals and we have a tightknit core that’s been here throughout time. We just want to continue to build chemistry that we have.”